


Tightline

by RomeoandAntoinette



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Junes is a fashion brand, Love at First Sight, M/M, Makeup, Yosuke is a make-up artist, Yu is a runway model
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:40:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22379596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomeoandAntoinette/pseuds/RomeoandAntoinette
Summary: The annual Junes runway show hits a snag when a winter storm causes a shortage of models for the upcoming production. Yosuke Hanamura, an esthetician for his father's prestige fashion line, is tasked with making over a brand new model named Yu Narukami. Fortunately, Yu is a kind person and doesn't mind Yosuke getting in his face and making him his cosmetic guinea pig. Unfortunately, the two are exactly each other's type in a scenario where any distraction could be disastrous. [Fashion Model AU] [Souyo]
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 15
Kudos: 138





	Tightline

It wasn’t like Yosuke to be so nervous before a big show.

It would be one thing if he was a rookie, but he’d served as a make-up artist for Junes’ annual runway show since he’d started high school.

Productions never went off seamlessly, but it was never anything he couldn’t handle. A last-minute clothing swap that called for a smoky eye rather than a graphic, liner-based look; a model having an allergic reaction to a lipstick and Yosuke having to recreate the same aesthetic on a fresh face in half the time; or even when a burst pipe doused his brushes and palettes in water and he had to makeover models by pinching their cheeks for blush and applying loose pigments with his fingertips to models’ eyelids and lips. He’d washed his hands so much that day that blisters formed on his fingertips and his palms were dry for days, even after hours in an Epsom salt soak.

And, of course, the was the infamous time he’d re-dyed a model’s hair two minutes after she walked in the door and tried to get dressed. The poor girl had just tried a stylist-recommended treatment at home, and the results spoke for themselves.

Yosuke would have fired any beauty advisor stupid enough to tell anyone mix a creme lightener with a 40-volume developer.

…Nobody had to know he’d learned that exact lesson the hard way back in high school.

However, none of those occasions held a candle to the current degree of turmoil rousing the Junes esthetician department.

A dangerous snowstorm sweeping Tokyo and its suburbs had left traffic backed up and people completely unmotivated to leave the safety of their warm homes. Despite most of the trains running as smoothly and efficiently as usual, models had gone rouge and ghosted the production completion. Their team of performers was down to half of its original size.

However, some models had pulled through.

The greenest model, Yu Narukami, had even walked to the venue from his part-time job and was waiting in Yosuke’s booth for further instruction.

“Yosuke!” his father called over a sea of bobbing, perfectly coiffed hairdos. “There’s a new model who needs your attention ASAP. Get to your station, now!”

Yosuke threw on his smock and made a beeline downstairs. He took the stairs two at a time before jumping into the landing and sprinting down one of the facility’s many back hallways.

Sitting there was a young man with silver hair and a sturdy frame. His shoulders were unusually wide compared to the build of the models they usually worked with. Instead, Yu was svelte in frame with corded muscles in all the right places. His face was also…definitely aesthetically pleasing to view. If Yosuke wasn’t such a staunch professional, he might have even dared to call the other man ‘handsome.’

But that was a whole can of worms he didn’t have the time or desire to open.

“Are you the new guy?” Yosuke asked as he shut the door and extended a hand to him. “I’m Yosuke. Sorry for being late! I tried to run, but…”

He was still panting for breath from sprinting. That, combined with his sudden entrance, must have made him look genuinely crazy. In spite of everything, he didn’t seem off-out by the hysteria. He slipped his hand into Yosuke’s and gave a confident shake.

“No problem. It sounds like a madhouse up there,” he said. His eye contact was as confident as his handshake. He didn’t falter for a second. “I’m Yu Narukami. Nice to meet you.”

“Narukami, huh?” Yosuke asked. “Nice name.”

“Thank you,” Yu smiled. “Wish I could take credit for it, but I didn’t choose it.”

The joke lured a smile to Yosuke’s face. He had spunk for a fashion model on their first gig, that was for sure. He liked that.

Unlike a lot of the other models they worked with, Yu appeared to be around his age and much more grounded in than some of his other clients. His father had even said Yu would be biking over to the show from his part-time job.

While models didn’t make a lot of money (a gross misunderstanding by the general public) many of them still showed full-time or arrived in sweatpants and messy buns after rolling out of bed.

Working with an exception sounded exciting.

“Alright, well, let’s get to work,” Yosuke said as he reached behind him and synced the ties of his smock tautly about his waist. “Have you been briefed?”

“A little,” Yu confessed. “Is the man upstairs your father? He told me a bit, but I haven’t done this before, so…”

“Right,” Yosuke nodded in understanding as he pulled open the doors of his vanity. He pulled out a grip of metal and cardboard eyeshadow pans and spread them across the table like a royal flush. “Makes sense. We’ll talk while I work, then. Pay attention, okay?”

Yu smiled and lifted his head. “You’re the boss.”

The boss. The words made him tingle.

“We’re missing half our models,” Yosuke said as he grabbed a make-up wipe and ran it over Yu’s face. Cheeks first, then eyes and lips. His skin was smooth but on the dull side. “You’ll be undergoing five quick changes, so we’ll need a versatile make-up look. That means your skin needs to look flawless. I can touch up your lips and eyes between walks.”

‘Walks’ met runway laps. Yu knew that much. “Okay.”

“How’s your walk?” Yosuke asked. “Are you a power-walker or a slinker?”

Yu laughed and rolled his stormy eyes to the ceiling with Yosuke blended the prudent under his lashline. “A slinker. I can walk in higher shoes too, although I’ve never done it at a show.”

“So, you’ll be wearing flowy outfits, probably,” Yosuke said, seemingly in a trance while he worked. He whisked a densely packed foundation brush from his apron pocket and bounced it along Yu’s jawline. Diamond-cut, as was typical. “I can work with that. We’ll give you an angelic look.”

Yosuke studied the man before him astutely. Instantly, he began to compile a blueprint in his head. Highlight here; contour there. Peach corrector under the eyes, lavender on the bridge of his nose.

As he stared at Yu’s face, Yosuke found himself more pleased than usual.

“You have good bones,” he mumbled. The second the comments left his lips, he mentally backhanded himself.

_“Swell. Good job Yosuke. Next time you compliment him, try to not sound like a serial killer, okay? Okay.”_

Yu only laughed as he tilted his head up and eyes the ceiling. The pipes were shaking from the parade of frantic workers overhead. “That’s very nice of you to say.”

The man’s easy-going personality prevented things from getting too awkward, and for that, Yosuke was endlessly grateful. He used the opportunity to re-center his focus and turn back to his vanity.

Step one: Good skin. While he usually opted for a matte finish, glass skin was having a trendy moment.

Yosuke grabbed a glass bottle of liquid highlighter and gave it a shake. He added a few drops of the golden-tinted shimmer to a clear primer and swirled them together on the back of his hand.

Then, with his fingers, he smoothed the products across Yu’s face in sweeping motions. He added a few extra dab to the top of Yu’s cheeks for added luster. The added shine would plump his cheekbones and made the more shadowy parts of his face recede more. It was a standard optical illusion. One of the oldest tricks in the book.

All the while, Yu sat somewhat motionless. His eyelids still fluttered with the signature squeamishness of someone who wasn’t used to their face being touched, but Yosuke tried to be gentle. Time was of the essence, but an uncomfortable model was the most useless thing a fashion show could have.

“Can I ask you a question?” Yu asked.

“Sure,” Yosuke said. “You can talk as much as you want until it’s time for lipstick.”

This made the ashy-haired man laugh, and Yosuke felt a little surge of pride. The stressful situation had been somewhat salvaged.

“Why did you mix that highlighter with the primer?” he asked. “It’s oil-based, right? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the primer when it comes to making the make-up…you know…stick?”

The question gave Yosuke pause. It was a really good question.

“That’s a really good question,” Yosuke faltered, still stunned that Yu had thought to ask it. “You want the truth? Well, we don’t have much time, but…watch this.”

Yosuke grabbed the clear primer and squirted a pearl-sized glob of it onto the clean back of his other hand. Then, slowly, he blended it out with a few swipes. Yu watched him keenly, studying the product and Yosuke’s actions with the utmost diligence.

When he was done blending, Yosuke flashed the patch of skin to Yu under the fluorescent lights overhead. “See why?”

Yu did. On the swatch where Yosuke had spread the product, the color of his skin looked pastier.

“The tone changed!” Yu realized in astonishment. Then, after a few moments or reexamining Yosuke’s face and complexion (something that made Yosuke’s cheeks flush the color of salmon) Yu nodded in understanding. “Oh, I get it. You have warm-toned skin, and the primer canceled that out somehow.”

A model who understood color theory. It was like a wet dream.

“Exactly!” Yosuke exclaimed. “Clear primers may look totally transparent in the package, but the sad thing is that most products in the make-up industry used in shows are geared toward specific skin tones only. A lot of ‘clear’ primers actually have lavender tints when you sheer them out. It looks fine on pale, cool-toned people. It’s probably impossible to notice. But if anyone with my skin tone or darker tried to wear it? Corpse city.”

“It totally ruins the tone of your skin,” Yu agreed. “So, why did you mix in the highlighter?”

Another good question.

“I don’t want your face to be flat for this look,” Yosuke admitted. “Matte looks are great for photography, but I want your face to have more dimension while you walk under the light. The fashion and face need to hit the same note.”

“So, if I was going to wear Chanel tweed, you’d do something more matte,” Yu guessed.

“Bingo,” Yosuke said. “The whole look needs to blend. The clothes are the star of the show, not you.”

It was a statement that could have easily been taken the wrong way. It wasn’t meant to be an offensive assertion; it was just the nature of the business. Thankfully, Yu didn’t seem the least bit miffed by the comment.

“Sounds complicated,” Yu said, sighing at the end of Yosuke’s spiel as if he was the one out of breath. “You have a really hard job.”

Even though Yosuke’s back was to Yu as he wetted his fluffy foundation brush with setting spray, he was almost sure the other man saw how his shoulders broadened at the praise.

After all, it was a really nice statement to hear.

“It is hard, but I enjoy it,” Yosuke admitted. After one last sweep across Yu’s face, he grabbed a wider and more bristly brush from his apron. Yosuke reached behind him and, without needing to look, grabbed a face palette off his desk. The clamshell case with filled with two blush pans, two highlighters, and two bronzers. One of the darker shades was matte and cooler in tone.

Yosuke dipped his brush into the darker pigment and tapped off the excess. A cloud of power floated up and away from the bristles.

“I’ll be using this to contour your cheeks,” Yosuke said. “Anything warmer will look orange. Good for the beach, bad for the runway. Tilt your head for me, okay?”

Yu obeyed and Yosuke used the brush to diffuse the powder across his skin. When Yu glimpsed in the mirror, the effect was so subtle it looked like Yosuke had airbrushed the color directly on his skin.

“You’re really good at this,” Yu commented. His tone was so genuine that Yosuke wasn’t sure if Yu had met to utter the phrase out loud. Nonetheless, Yosuke smiled and thanked him.

After the lightest dusting of tawny blush, Yosuke moved onto the Yu’s eyes.

Before he decided on what colors to include, he leaned in and got a closer look at Yu’s eyes. Originally, he’d thought that they were gray like storm clouds. Upon closer inspection, he realized the color was more akin to starlight. His irises were bright and almost iridescent, with flecks of brown and green dancing out from a darker center like a starburst.

Even better for an angelic look.

“Man, I’m jealous,” Yosuke gasped as he slowly inched back from Yu’s face. “You have really pretty eyes.”

The other man blinked in surprise. It was hard to read Yu’s emotions, but from what Yosuke could tell, he looked surprised by the compliment.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Yosuke confirmed with a nod. He turned around to pull open the drawers of his station. To Yu’s surprise, there had to be twenty or thirty palettes stored in each compartment. The sheer amount of options, colors and finishes made his head spin. On the contrary, Yosuke seemed to have no trouble pulling exactly what he needed to out of the rainbow abyss. Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a top hat.

Yosuke chuckled. “You sound surprised.”

“Nobody’s ever told me that before,” Yu confessed. “Guess I always assumed they were pretty plain. Or just weird.”

“Weird is good,” Yosuke said before he could stop himself. “Weird is better than plain, anyway. Indifference is more insulting than aversion.”

“Yeah?” Yu asked. His reply was flat and unreadable.

Yosuke took another shot in the dark. “Either that or everyone else who has looked at you just has poor taste. Chin up.”

Yosuke used the end of his make-up brush to point upward to the low, popcorn ceiling. Yu followed the motion and awaited the next step.

The palette Yosuke pulled out first was a collection of nudes, all of which were cool-toned. The young man used a small pencil brush to pick up a smudge of dark chocolate shadow. The shade was actually called ‘Suspicion’ but after only a short amount of time in the industry, Yosuke learned very quickly that make-up companies gave different names to the same exact color based on what palette it was placed in. Instead of creating a new shade of brown for each line, they just gave them different names. What was named ‘Sable’ in one palette was also known as ‘Brun’ or ‘No Frills’ in another line.

Yosuke was more no-nonsense that other MUAs when it came to seeing make-up for what it was; a disguise. A glamor.

For Yu, today, it would be the creation of a persona.

Even if he was greener than the others, he vowed to make Yu so stunning on the runway that nobody else would notice if the new guy made a rookie mistake or two.

Then again, it wouldn’t take much work. The pale-haired model had already stacked the deck with his great looks, wonderful manners, and charm. All Yosuke had to do was enhance what was already there.

 _“You have a job to do,”_ Yosuke’s inner voice piped up again. _“Change the subject and focus.”_

It was as much Yosuke’s job to apply make-up as it was to get Yu psyched up. He had to be like each model’s personal cheerleader.

Which met he had to stop daydreaming about how pretty Yu’s eyes were and get to work.

Instead of blending the brown shade into the crease, he began blending it in the inner corners of Yu’s eyes.

It was a technique the contradicted what a lot of other artists did. Many other artists only risked dabbing darker shades in the outer corners of their eyes while the tearducts were dusted with light, shimmery shades. The result was a smoky chiaroscuro that drew people’s attention to the eyes but also made them appear smaller. After gazing at Yu’s eyes and admiring how bright they were, Yosuke saw an opportunity to do just the opposite.

Yu peered at the dark shade in the pan and swallowed. “Yikes, that’s dark.”

“Trust me,” Yosuke chimed. Tap, tap. “Close your eyes.”

Yu obeyed and Yosuke got to work. Each touch was gentle and light, careful to not cause any irritation or discomfort. If he’d had more time, he would have applied another layer of eyeshadow primer to prep the skin. 

Yu’s brow creased while Yosuke worked. “Um. Earlier, you said you were jealous.”

So much for changing the subject

“Well, yeah,” Yosuke added. He tried to keep his tone nonchalant because his hands and voice had a tendency to shake when he was nervous. “They’re iridescent. Like stars or…something. You’re a lucky guy.”

Before Yosuke had the chance to internally chastise himself yet again for the creepy statement, Yu interrupted his train of thought.

He said, “Don’t settle yourself short. I think you’ve got pretty nice eyes yourself.”

The brush bounced in his hand. He had no choice but to pull it back under the guise of needing to reload the brush with more powder. He tapped it into the pan a little harder than necessary, kicking up a small cloud of fallout.

“I’m surprised you can see past my bangs,” Yosuke joked. “I know, I probably look like a sheepdog or something. I’ve been wanting to get a haircut just to get the hair out of my eyes. I just hate to spend my day off cutting my hair, you know?”

Yu laughed. “I can understand that. I think you look good no matter what.”

“Stop that.”

“No, I mean it,” Yu insisted. “No matter what, there’s a pretty attractive guy behind all that hair.”

Yosuke rolled his eyes, which only made Yu laugh harder.

After cutting the creases of Yu’s eyelids with the same shade, he popped an iridescent pearl color in the center of the lid. The color matched Yu’s irises almost perfectly. All it needed was a few touches of taupe here and there as a transition shade.

Yosuke took a step back and evaluated the look with a critical eye.

It was almost perfect, but something was missing. The look was nice and complimented Yu’s features as a model, but it didn’t have any oomph. It wouldn’t jive well with the otherworldly outfits he knew were waiting on padded hangars upstairs. He needed something more.

Then, an idea popped in his head.

He grabbed an almond-colored brow pomade that he used for the palest of blonds and a small vial of loose pigment. The color was bright yellow, like a lemon. He emptied the entire vial into the pomade and began to whisk it together with the opposite end of an angle brush he’d grabbed from his apron.

After hearing nothing but ambiguous shuffling and clicks for a minute, Yu opened his eyes and saw Yosuke blending the concoction like a mad scientist. “Um. What are you doing?”

“Making a custom eyeliner,” Yosuke said. “A yellow one.”

“Yellow?” Yu asked, clearly off-put.

“We’re going to tightline your eyes with it,” Yosuke told him as he leaned in. Their bodies were so close that Yosuke had to practically straddle Yu in his chair to get the best angle. The result caused Yu to lean back and tilt his head upwards, which was exactly where Yosuke needed it to be to work. Tightlining required Yosuke to blend the pigment directly onto the waterline of each eye. In this case, he’d only be applying the product to Yu’s lower lashes for the sake of time and aesthetic Normally such a process would be done with a crayon or wax liner, but Yosuke was confident in his abilities. He could do it with the smallest brush possible without causing damage to the sensitive skin. That is if the model trusted him enough to let him try.

“Perfect,” he said as he glided the brush through the fluorescent paste. It was as smooth as butter. “Are your eyes sensitive?”

“No,” Yu said honestly. “But, I’ve never…”

“Roll your pupils up toward the ceiling again,” Yosuke said. “Or just look at me. Tell me if it hurts. Okay?”

“What will you do then?” Yu asked.

“I’ll stop,” Yosuke said. “And we’ll think of something else.”

A stampede of footsteps from overhead made the furniture rattle. It seemed that people were already starting to take their places for the show.

“Okay,” Yu said, maintaining staunch professionalism despite his nervousness. “Let’s try it.”

Yosuke gave him a thankful look. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Ready.”

Yosuke nodded his appreciation and inched closer. Yu rolled his pupils skyward, and thanks to Yosuke’s elevated position, the result was unflinching eye contact between the two of them.

Each second was like an hour as Yosuke gently swept the bright yellow liner along Yu’s bottom waterline. All the while, his honey-brown eyes stared into Yu’s with an intensity that only helped bolster Yu’s stillness. If he hadn’t gotten a good enough look at Yosuke’s eyes before, he certainly did now. It also gave Yu plenty of time to examine to rest of Yosuke’s face, which was pinched in concentration. The corners of his eyes crinkled and his lips, the color of ripe peaches, were pursed. The pulsebeat in his throat bobbed up and down. He was probably just as nervous and stressed as Yu was, if not more so.

Yosuke’s tan face was also dotted with pale constellations of freckles. They’d been practically invisible before, but being so close gave Yu the perfect angle to see all the areas where the sun had kissed him.

“You’re doing great,” Yosuke said. “Does it hurt?”

Yu was almost too distracted to answer. “No. I feel fine, actually.”

“Awesome,” Yosuke said. His voice smiled in lieu of his face, as he was still a picture of attention at making sure the line of color was perfectly and painlessly blotted onto the skin.

It was then that Yu also noticed how rough Yosuke’s hands were. After moving from Yu’s left eye to his right one, Yosuke’s hand had floated up from Yu’s shoulder to gently hold the back of his head. He imagined he did in order to hold him steady and maneuver his head any which way he needed to. Regardless of why, Yu could feel the callouses on Yosuke’s thumb and forefinger when he rested his rested behind his ear.

How hard did someone have to work with their hands in the make-up industry for the fingers on their non-dominant hand to be so rough? Yu had to wonder.

The feeling of Yosuke’s hand on him was far from unpleasant. In a way, it was reassuring. The man doing his make-up, sitting in his lap, staring into his eyes, and letting his perfect coral lips linger less than an inch from his own, was focused solely on him and his comfort. The feeling was as empowering as it was electrifying.

At that moment, Yu’s worries were gone in a flash.

 _“I can do this,”_ he thought, barely resisting the urge to clench the chair’s armrests. _“Yosuke has my back.”_

Finally, the brush was resigned to the table.

“There. Done.”

Yosuke replaced his own face with a mirror so Yu could review his handiwork. In his reflection, Yu saw that his bottom lashes were lined with bright yellow while the dark shadows defined and thickened his upper lashes. The effect made it appear as if a storm was brewing on his face.

Between the dark shadows and yellow lightning, his eyes blazed like twin stars.

“I have to say, I had my doubts…” Yu started slowly before a smile broke his face. “But it looks great.”

Yosuke was so enthused that he practically bounced on Yu’s lap. “Right? Seriously, dude, thank you so much for letting me…”

“It was my pleasure,” Yu said a little too quickly.

The reply lured a smile to Yosuke’s face. This time, his hands didn’t falter as they skimmed Yu’s jawline before drifting down to his shoulders. “Oh, yeah? Is that so?”

There was something else besides enthusiasm behind his expression. Another emotion that Yu couldn’t quite pin.

The ashen-haired man nodded shamelessly. “Absolutely.”

A beat of silence pulsed between them as they both became acutely aware of the distance, or lack thereof, between them. While both knew they should separate, neither of them made a motion to move.

Just then, a burst of static erupted from the speakers. _“Attention! All models to Stage 4 in fifteen.”_

The burst of sound almost made Yosuke topple from his precarious perch. Yu wrapped his arms around the man’s waist to steady him, this preventing an ungraceful fall into the scuffed vinyl. The gesture forced their chests together as Yosuke shifted all his weight onto Yu’s lap during the fall.

To avoid smudging the freshly applied make-up, Yosuke braced his hands on the other man’s slightly wider chest and pushed his face into his shoulder so hard that the model’s heartbeat practically drummed in his ear.

 _“All models should report to Stage 4 in fifteen for final prep,”_ the voice said. Despite the urgency of her words, the announcer sounded remarkably bored. _“I repeat, final prep for models is in fifteen.”_

The all-call finished with a click. The two were left alone in the silence.

“Fifteen minutes,” Yosuke clarified with a gasp. He lifted his head to face Yu, their faces a hair’s breadth apart. “…Time to go.”

Yu reluctantly leased his grip. “Oh. Um…yeah. You’re right.”

Both laughed nervously and slinked apart. Their movements were slow and almost too careful throughout the untangling.

Eventually, Yosuke peeled himself away enough to hop back onto his feet. The brown-haired man then proceeded to zip around like a frantic bumblebee gathering the last of the supplies they needed for Yu’s transformation.

The only remaining thing to attend to was putting the finishing touches on Yu’s lips. In lieu of taking additional time they didn’t have to line his lips, swipe on lipstick and dab on a sparkly topper, Yosuke dabbed a pink-chocolate lip stain on Yu’s lips with his finger. After surviving the tightlining process, the intimate touches were no big deal. Yu didn’t so much as bat an eye.

Since Yu would be undergoing multiple quick-changes anyway, it was only practical to keep things simple on the face where they could afford it. Something too bright would stand out like a sore thumb if it smudged before a big walk with no time to fix it.

After wringing a washcloth over his hands, he hauled Yu to his feet and took his hands.

“Ready?” Yosuke asked for the second time that afternoon.

This time, Yu nodded confidently. He squeezed Yosuke’s hands in return. “Lead the way, boss.”

With Yosuke leading the way through the lived-in walls of the venue’s backstage area, they managed to make it to the dressing area with little to no delay.

He all but pushed Yu into the hands of the designers, who immediately began to help the young man into his first outfit of the show. Due to the fact that many of the models were still running late, they had re-organized the racks backstage so that each models’ next change of clothes was immediately available backstage for them to slip into.

Yu’s rack was lined with ethereal pieces made from fabric and meshes, diaphanous as light, that shimmered like ghosts on their hangers. The first outfit was a multi-layered white ensemble with a long chemise that changed colors under the light. Pink one moment, blue the next, and finally, canary yellow under the bright fluorescents. The material was gently fluted toward his hips and crimped about his thighs.

A series of three askew belts synched the material about his tapered waist. All the models’ shoes, including Yu’s, featured white tread on the bottoms to prevent slippage.

Such shoes were standard for pole dancers and drag performers that had to move around without slipping, but the fashion industry was just now hopping onto the hype train. It was a lifesaver for everyone, including models not used to walking in higher shoes.

After the designer finished smoothing the layers of poofy fabric, she gave Yu a light shove toward and steadily growing line of models just off stage. Just beyond the curtain, Yosuke’s father had already cued up the audience and was giving a presentation about the latest spring line they were about to see from Junes.

Instead of immediately hopping into the queue, Yu stopped and turned to Yosuke.

“Do I look okay?”

To him, Yosuke was the final authority. It was a candid display of trust.

“One last thing,” Yosuke piped up as he snapped his fingers over his head. He called for the closest hairstylist to bring him some gel. Once he had jogged the squeeze-tube of pale-blue jelly over to him, she squeezed a small amount and warmed it in his hands by rubbing them together furiously.

Then, he leaned in and threaded the gel with his fingers through Yu’s bangs, pushing them up and back from his face in windswept motions.

“There,” Yosuke laughed as he threaded the gel through Yu’s bangs. The resulting look was windswept, as if he’d just descended to Earth from the heavens. “Just like I thought. Pretty hot guy hiding underneath that bowl-cut.”

Yu was too flattered to be annoyed by the jab. In fact, he even blushed a bit. “Yeah?”

Yosuke bobbed his head so slightly he almost didn’t notice. If Yu wasn’t imagining things, he also looked a little red in the face. Maybe it was just from sprinting to the stage area, but Yu dared to hope differently.

Then, when Yu turned away to get in line, Yosuke reached out and stole his hand.

When they locked eyes again, Yosuke’s cheeks were blazing and his voice was barely above a whisper. His fingers rattled like keys.

He said, “Now you really look like an angel.”

It was the perfect moment for Yu to clap back with some smart, witty reply that would make the charismatic make-up artist like him even more. He wanted to say something smart and aloof. Something that would make his boss swoon at his newfound confidence.

Instead, Yu leaned in and kissed him.

It lasted for all of a few moments, but when the pulled away, it was as if the world had shifted. Everything around them suddenly seemed calmer. The world seemed more manageable. Worries and petty concerns about the show and everything leading up the production dissolved like a gel capsule.

“Good call on the lip stain,” Yu laughed, his eyes down-turned bashfully.

Still radiating warmth comparable to the sun, Yosuke punched his shoulder lightly. “What can I say? I know what I’m doing.”

“I’ll say,” he teased in return.

The two shared another quick, feverish peck before Yosuke spun his around. He let his hands linger on Yu’s shoulder for half a second longer than what was probably appropriate.

“Break a leg out there,” Yosuke cheered.

Yu reared his head back and flashed him a smile.

Then, just like an angel, he picked up his skirts and drifted away weightlessly into the light.

* * *

The show went off without a hitch.

Despite missing a few people, all the other models pulled their weight without a word of complaint to compensate.

Yu, specifically, was gung-ho about doing whatever he was asked.

After his first slink around the runway, to the clear adoration of the fashion reporters and photographers sitting in the front row, he was instantly swept up by another designer who fitted him into an ivory crochet chemise and fitted trousers. His nude lip color was covered with a blue-tinted red that made the whites of his eyes and outfit pop flamboyantly against the runway’s dark backdrop.

The weave of the top was so open that it was almost like he was walking the runway shirtless. Or in white bondage. Either way, Yosuke got an eyeful.

The last outfit Yu was fitted in was Yosuke’s favorite.

Ironically, this ensemble covered ever into of his body. It was transparent robe strung with cascading floral patterns made from gold white and silver sequins. Underneath was a series of high-collared tops that popped around his neckline and folded symmetrically across his broad chest. A train of gold hardware snaked up the center of the robe via a train of elaborately carved fastenings.

The rest of the robe’s material, thin as tissue, flowed behind him in twin trains. The pants were cropped in length and his heeled shoes from earlier were traded out for pleather ankle boots. Most of the models got to change into flatter shoes by the end of the show as the first of many thank-yous for doing five times the amount of work they’d originally been scheduled to do.

After the last model crossed the threshold into the backstage area, the crew waited with bated breath to hear the crowd’s reaction.

When Yosuke’s father walked back onto the stage with his microphone, he was greeted by a standing ovation that let Yosuke know they’d pulled it off.

The spring line was a success.

Soon, Junes’ marketing team would gather in a conference room and spend our pouring over the many social media articles, filtering which ones to boost and which ones to ignore. If the sea of applause was anything to go by, it sounded like it was going to be a night of positive coverage.

Yosuke’s father then called his team out onstage alongside the models to stand and bow to the crowd. It was a standard of the Junes brand to always, no matter what, bow to their audiences at the end of a show and say, “Thank you for coming!”

It was a trend that Yosuke’s father had picked up from working in a retail fashion store as a teenager. Now, it was a staple that had become a tradition over the years. It was like a good luck charm that preceded the rest of the season, no matter how the show that had occurred beforehand was received. Junes wasn’t a brand that rested on its laurels.

Yosuke Hanamura, as always, took the spot next to his father.

When the models came out, he immediately reached for Yu’s hand. The angelic model, eyes still electric with passion, crossed the runway immediately and thrust out his hand in return. As soon as their fingers intertwined, Yosuke lifted his hands to his lips and placed a princely kiss on Yu’s knuckles. The sweet gesture warranted another strident cheer as the rest of the designers and artists flocked onto the postage-stamp-sized stage and bowed in sync.

Then, it was over. The models were whisked away to their dressing rooms and the members of the media lined up at the stage to ask Yosuke and his father a series of questions about the Junes brand.

The staff began to clean up the staging area and pack up the supplies. The seating area was swept up and the lacquered chairs that had been meticulously lined up for the fashion reporters and photographers mere hours before now all had to be folded and carried back to the storeroom on the opposite end of the stage.

By the time Yosuke had finished clearing his station and washing his brushes, everyone else had already left the building, except for a few security officers that would continue to roam the premises overnight. Yosuke checked his phone for the time.

The time showed 12:05 a.m.

 _“Is this how Cinderalla’s prince felt?”_ he wondered.

Practically dead on his feet after such an intense day, Yosuke meandered back to his station to retire his apron, grab his bag and make a beeline for home. He knew he should be responsible and stop at the closest ATM for cash and hit up the 24-hour convenience store for a few lunches or room-temperature apples for the next morning. He definitely planned on sleeping in as long as his growling stomach would let him. It would give time for his princely hopes to fade into a dull ache.

As entered the basement and rounded the corner, he saw a message scrawled on his station’s mirror. The words were written in neat, bright yellow script.

_I enjoyed working with you. Call me if you’d like a private show. I don’t work tomorrow. 810-2008._

Yosuke couldn't reach for his phone fast enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Woo boy. 
> 
> I had a ton of fun writing this, but fashion and make-up are also big parts of my life, so I'll defer to you guys. If you'd like to see more Souyo fics in the Tightline-universe, let me know! I had a lot of fun squeezing in references and making these two interact in a world that's a little closer to reality. (Well, reality for me, at least, compared to fighting demons and…enjoying fishing).
> 
> For those who read this fic and couldn’t give a flip about fashion or make-up…wow, thank you so much! I’m honored and humbled that you still read all to the end and truly appreciate your support!  
> I’ll see you all soon! Buh-bye!
> 
> (Also don’t call that number with your area code, it’s just the Persona 4 release date. My marketing department (me) told me we didn’t have the budget to set up a real line soooooooo)


End file.
